Condiment holder

ABSTRACT

A condiment holder comprises a top having a plurality of spaced apart openings therein constructed and arranged to receive condiment containers. A partial enclosure is connected to and extends below the top. The enclosure includes a bottom wall generally parallel to the top, opposite upwardly extending end walls connected between the top and bottom walls, and front and back partial side walls that extend between lower portions of the end walls. At least one of the end and bottom walls has a plurality of air circulation openings therein to facilitate the flow of refrigerated air.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a division of application Ser. No.10/616,648, filed Jul. 10, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a condiment holder, and moreparticularly to a condiment holder having a formed top with a series ofopenings therein, sized to fit condiment containers, and a ventedenclosure below the top which supports the containers while allowingrefrigerated air to flow around the containers in the holder.

Refrigerated tables for use in the preparation of food are well known inthe art. These tables are constructed with areas for holding ingredientstorage pans or bins that are open to the air and easily accessible tofood preparation personnel and direct consumers in the case of selfservice salad bars. Refrigerated tables are often equipped with workareas in close proximity to the refrigerated storage pans to provide thefood preparation personnel spaces to prepare the food. These tables aregenerally used in restaurants, cafeterias, or by food service providersfor the preparation of sandwiches, salads, etc.

In the preparation of food, it is common that many of the ingredientsrequire refrigeration to a particular temperature to comply with healthregulations as well as to improve the shelf life of the ingredients andthe taste of the finished product.

Condiments such as ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, mayonnaise and thelike are often dispensed from containers such as squeeze bottles, forexample. Currently, when attempts are made to cool and maintain thesebottles at desired temperature levels, operators may simply place thebottles on a bed of ice at or near the food processing table or countertop. This method is messy in that condensation collects on the countertop, and the bed of ice takes up valuable workspace.

Alternatively, an operator may use a ⅓ or ⅙ size steam table pan byplacing the pan into an opening in the refrigerated table. This methodallows only minimal cooling to occur since the condiment bottles nevercome in direct contact with the refrigerated air. Moreover, with no lidcovering the pan, warm air from above enters the pan thereby defeatingthe refrigeration process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, one of the major objects of the present invention is acondiment holder for use with a refrigerated food processing table formaintaining condiment containers such as squeeze bottles at desiredrefrigerated temperature levels.

Another object of the present invention is a condiment holder which issimple in construction, but which cooperates with a refrigerated foodprocessing table to maintain the condiment containers within the holderat desired refrigerated temperature levels.

In accordance with the present invention a condiment holder comprises atop having a plurality of spaced apart openings therein constructed andarranged to receive condiment containers. A partial enclosure isconnected to and extends below the top. The enclosure includes a bottomwall generally parallel to the top, opposite upwardly extending endwalls connected between the top and bottom walls, and front and backpartial side walls that extend between lower portions of the end walls.At least one of the end and bottom walls has a plurality of aircirculation openings therein.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bottom and bothend walls have a plurality of air circulation openings herein and theopenings are generally circular in configuration. Moreover, the partialside walls that extend between lower portions of the end walls areconnected to the bottom wall of the partial enclosure.

The spaced apart openings in the top are circular, and in one embodimentof the present invention eight openings are provided while in anotherembodiment four openings are provided. Preferably the top includes aperipheral lip outwardly extending from the end walls as well as thefront and back partial side walls.

The present invention also includes the condiment holder in combinationwith a plurality of condiment containers within at least some of thespaced apart openings in the top. The condiment containers may besqueeze bottles each having a circular cross section that fits withincircular openings in the top.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Novel features and advantages of the present invention in addition tothose mentioned above will be readily apparent to persons of ordinaryskill in the art from a reading of the following detailed description inconjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein similar referencecharacters refer to similar parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is an end elevational view of a condiment holder, according tothe present invention, with the holder positioned within therefrigerated compartment of a food preparation table shown in phantomoutline;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the condiment holder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the condiment holder shown in FIGS.1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another condiment holder, according tothe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring in more particularity to the drawing, FIGS. 1–3 illustrate acondiment holder 10 having an overall size that fits within the topopening 12 of a refrigerated food preparation table 14. Tables of thistype are well known, and one such table is described in U.S. Pat. No.6,151,905, incorporated herein by reference. As explained more fullybelow, when the condiment holder 10 is so positioned within the opening12, refrigerated air 16 circulates in, around and through the holder tothereby maintain condiment containers 18 within the holder at desiredtemperature levels.

Condiment holder 10 includes a top 20 having a plurality of spaced apartopenings 22 therein constructed and arranged to receive the condimentcontainers 18. A partial enclosure 24 is connected to and extends belowthe top 20. The enclosure includes a bottom wall 26 spaced from andgenerally parallel to the top 20, as illustrated in the drawing. Thepartial enclosure 24 also includes opposite upwardly extending end walls28, 30 connected between the top 20 and the bottom wall 26.Additionally, front and back partial side walls 32 extend between lowerportions of the end walls 28, 30, as shown best in FIG. 3.

Preferably the bottom wall 26 includes a plurality of air circulationopenings 34 for the purposes of allowing refrigerated air 16 to flowthrough the condiment holder 10. Similarly, the end walls 28, 30 alsoinclude a plurality of air circulation openings 36 which allow the flowof refrigerated air 16 in and through the condiment holder.

The partial side walls 32 extending between the lower portions of endwalls 28, 30 are also connected to the bottom wall 26 of the partialenclosure 24. The partial side walls 32 extend upwardly from the bottomwall, as shown best in FIG. 3.

Additionally, a peripheral lip 38 extends outwardly from the end walls28, 30 and also outwardly from the profile of the front and back partialsides walls 32. The lip 38 engages the top of the refrigerated foodprocessing table 14 upon insertion into the opening 12.

The openings 22 in the top 20 preferably are circular in configuration,as shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment of the present invention eightcircular openings 22 are provided in the top 20 for holding a maximum ofeight condiment containers 18.

The condiment holder 10 preferably is fabricated from sheet metalmaterial although other materials are equally suitable. Also, thecondiment containers 18 preferably are squeeze bottles, each having acircular cross section in the transverse direction.

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the present inventioncomprising of condiment holder 10A. Fundamentally, the only significantdifference between the condiment holder 10A is that it includes fourcircular openings 22A in the top 20 for holding a maximum of fourcondiment containers 18. Otherwise, the structural details of condimentholder 10A are the same as holder 10, and similar reference charactersare used to identify similar parts.

In operation, the condiment holders 10, 10A are placed within suitablydimensioned openings 12 in the refrigerated food processing table 14.The condiment containers 18 are placed within the openings 22, 22A, andrefrigerated air 16 circulates in, around and through the condimentholders via the circulation openings 34 in the bottom walls 26 and thecirculation openings 36 in the end walls 28, 30. Additionally,refrigerated air flows through the open side spaces above the partialside walls 32.

1. A condiment holder in combination with a refrigerated table having anopening therein constructed and arranged to receive the condimentholder, the holder comprising a top having a plurality of spaced apartopenings therein constructed and arranged to receive condimentcontainers, a peripheral lip on the holder engaging the refrigeratedtable at the opening therein, a partial enclosure connected to andextending below the top, the enclosure including a bottom wall generallyparallel to the top, opposite upwardly extending end walls connectedbetween the top and the bottom wall of the enclosure, front and backpartial side walls extending between lower portions of the end walls, atleast one of the end and bottom walls having a plurality of aircirculation openings therein, and a plurality of condiment containerswithin at least some of the spaced apart openings in the top.
 2. Acondiment holder as in claim 1 wherein the bottom wall and both endwalls have a plurality of air circulating openings therein.
 3. Acondiment holder as in claim 2 wherein the air circulating openings arecircular.
 4. A condiment holder as in claim 1 wherein each of thepartial sidewalls is connected to the bottom wall of the partialenclosure.
 5. A condiment holder as in claim 1 wherein each of thespaced apart openings in the top are circular.
 6. A condiment holder asin claim 5 wherein the circular spaced apart openings comprise eightopenings.
 7. A condiment holder as in claim 5 wherein the circularspaced apart openings comprise four openings.
 8. A condiment holder asin claim 1 wherein the top and partial enclosure are sheet metal.
 9. Thecombination of claim 1 wherein the condiment containers are squeezebottles.
 10. The combination of claim 9 wherein the spaced apartopenings in the top are circular, and the squeeze bottles each have acircular cross section in a transverse direction.